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Monday, 27 March 2017

My
initial impressions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were very positive. But I must admit, that after more than 60 hours
of play, I came away feeling a little disappointed. Breath of the
Wild is, without a doubt, a potential Game of the Year. But it’s also a title I think falls a
little short in a couple of key areas.

Let’s
start with the good stuff. Breath of the Wild is a fantastic example
of open world done right. I talked a little about this in my
First Impressions post, but it’s something worth repeating. With so
many recent open world games adhering to such formulaic structures,
BotW is an incredibly refreshing experience.

After
an initial tutorial zone, you can go anywhere in the world that you
wish and you can tackle the core content in any order you choose. The
only restrictions to your exploration are enemy strength and
environmental hazards – but with careful planning, even these can
be overcome. BotW offers a remarkable freedom to explore that puts so
many recent ‘open world’ games to shame.

And
this is a world worth exploring. As vast as the game map may
be, every piece of it feels meticulously crafted. No matter where you
go, how far or how high you climb, you’ll always find something
on your travels. There will always be something to see or do.

The
world of BotW is the real star of the show. But as large as it is,
it’s not the size that’s truly impressive. It’s the small
details that really matter. BotW is packed full of small details.
Small details that bring the world to life in a way that the
artificially structured zones of other open world titles nearly
always neglect.

These
details range from enemy animations and behaviour, to npc
interaction, to wildlife, to environmental details . . . every piece
of the world feels carefully considered. This isn’t just a
collection of assets haphazardly thrown together to fill out a
needlessly large map. This world feels real. It’s one of the
most immersive open worlds you’ll ever experience and it’s an
absolute joy to explore.

But
not everyone may like this open approach to design. As I said in my
post about the durability system, Breath of the Wild represents a
significant departure from the formula of previous Zelda titles. In
those, exploration was gated and progression structured by way of key
items.

But
in BotW, your key items – runes – are all unlocked after the
initial tutorial zone. This a necessity to give the player the
freedom to tackle any of the content in any order they wish. But if
you’re a player who prefers a sense of progression similar to past
Zelda titles, that’s not what BotW is offering.

Instead,
its sense of progression comes primarily from your exploration, and
the expansion of your map as you enter new zones. It also comes in
the form of upgraded health and stamina bars, as well as new weapons
and armour. But there’s no real progression in terms of quests,
story or key items, even items as important as the iconic Master
Sword.

You
could, if you wanted to, head straight for the end boss after leaving
the initial zone. The game gives you the freedom to do so, with or
without completing the four main ‘dungeons’, any of the shrines,
or even knowing the Master Sword exists. And I can understand why
some people may not like this completely open approach to
progression. For those expecting a more structured experience in
terms of narrative and gameplay, you won’t really find that here.

So
once you’re out in the world, free to go wherever you wish, what is
there to actually do? There’s no template to zones in the sense
that each has a set number of core and side objectives. In fact, some
regions of the map will go entirely unexplored if you stick to purely
‘main’ quests. But each region does feature a variety of side
quests and shrines to discover and complete.

The
shrines are essentially puzzle rooms, based around the use of your
runes. A few do offer combat challenges, but these are actually the
most disappointing, as they’re all exactly the same, only with
varying difficulty. In terms of quality, the puzzle based shrines are
somewhat mixed. There’s over 100 shrines to discover in the world,
the majority of which can be immediately accessed upon arrival, but
others which may require a quest to unlock.

Some
of them (including the associated quests) are very simple, easy and
straightforward to complete, whilst others offer a genuinely clever
and elaborate challenge. I completed over 60 of the shrines during my
time with the game and overall, I’d say I enjoyed the shrines a
lot. But I also can’t deny that there’s nothing particularly
special about these ‘mini-dungeons’ either.

I’d
have much preferred if they’d strung say, 5 or 6 of these puzzle
rooms together. We’d then have less shrines, but perhaps more
meaningful and challenging shrines. Another issue with the shrines is
the disappointing reward they offer upon completion – a Spirit Orb
which, when you have 4 in your possession, can be used to upgrade
your health or stamina.

One
of the joys of previous Zelda titles was completing challenging
puzzles and dungeons and feeling that you received a unique and
worthwhile reward for your trouble. But there’s nothing unique,
surprising or interesting about the rewards for completing shrines.

I’d
have loved it if they’d not only combined the shrines into more
substantial experiences, but also provided more meaningful and
randomised rewards – such as heart or stamina upgrades, armour
pieces or unique weapons. Here’s the thing – I enjoyed the
shrines, but there was no sense of mystery to them. I always knew
exactly what to expect and exactly what I’d be getting at the end.

Side
quests are also mixed in terms of quality. I completed so many I lost
count, some of which were short and easy, whilst others featured
multiple stages and were far more elaborate. I’m pleased to say
that on the whole, very few fall into the tedious ‘go fetch X
number of Y’ style quests, and the majority have some kind of
narrative drive. The personal highlight for me was the side quest for
purchasing and decorating my own home, which then branched into a
lengthy secondary quest of helping to construct an entire town and
recruiting new residents.

And
then we have the main quests, although only one of these is
technically required to complete the game – defeating Ganon. The
others involve recovering your lost memories, finding the Master
Sword, and freeing the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s control. And
although none of these things are strictly necessary, you won’t be
getting the ‘full’ experience if you don’t. This is especially
true of the ‘lost memories’ quest, which you need to see the full
‘true’ ending to the game.

That’s
something that kind of irritated me though, because one of the
memories is actually located just before the final boss, but you’re
then required to leave the area in order to complete the quest. It
feels pretty silly fighting or sneaking your way to Ganon, only to
turn around and f**k off at the last moment. And then you have to go
all the way back again.

The
Divine Beasts are essentially the main ‘dungeons’ of Breath of
the Wild, but if you’re expecting anything similar to previous
Zelda dungeons you may be sorely disappointed. Each Beast is pretty
much just a large puzzle room with the odd (and pointless) enemy
thrown in, based around a mechanic that lets you reconfigure the room
on the fly.

And
they’re . . . not that great, to be honest. I really don’t mind
BotW doing something different with its approach to dungeon design,
but given the top quality of the open world, the Beasts are rather
disappointing in comparison. They’re all very short, basic and easy
to complete. They all share the same aesthetic and the same puzzle
mechanic.

They’re
not terrible. Don’t get the wrong idea. A couple of them are
actually quite clever. But in many ways, they’re less interesting
and elaborate than some of the shrines I completed. And when compared
to dungeons in previous Zelda games, they lack variety not only
visually, but in terms of design, challenge and puzzles. There’s no
unique theme or puzzle mechanic requiring the use of a particular
skill or item. Also, the bosses
kinda suck.

Each
Beast ends with a boss fight, and this is the other major issue I
have with BotW. The bosses are weak. Like the Beasts, they’re
fairly short and easy fights. And both visually and tactically,
they’re all essentially the same. If you’re expecting unique and
varied boss fights, requiring clever solutions to defeat, then you’re
going to be very disappointed.

And
this sadly applies to the final boss fight which, due to the open
nature of progression, has no real build up. There’s no sense of
achievement at being ready to face the ultimate foe. Instead, it just
involves running into a room, watching a cut scene as the big bad
arrives, followed by a rather anti-climactic battle and a somewhat
abrupt and unsatisfying ending.

It
feels like the game would have benefited by dialling back the freedom
just a touch, to help build that tension, that sense that you’re
preparing for the ultimate battle. If it made securing the Beasts a
necessity. If the bloody Master Sword was actually vital to
victory. But it’s not.

It
can’t be, because they’ve purposefully designed the game
so that nearly everything you do is entirely optional. But when
everything is optional, none of it feels important. As a
result, when you do find the Master Sword, it’s incredibly
underwhelming – especially when you realise you could have just as
easily gone into battle against Ganon wielding a bokoblin club and
prevailed.

It
almost feels like BotW forgot about the Legend part of the
title. The Legend of the Chosen Hero. The Legend of the Master Sword.
Except in BotW, you can run straight to Ganon and start smacking him
with a soup ladle. So much for the legendary ‘sword that seals the
darkness’! I can see why some people might see this as a positive,
but to me, it’s more of a negative aspect.

I
missed that sense of needing to go on a grand quest to unlock the key
items that are required to defeat the ultimate foe. In BotW, you
don’t reallyneed to
do anything because it gives you all the necessary tools right at the
start. So why bother? What’s really at stake? Where’s the sense
of purpose and drive? I know there are those who will think this
silly, that there’s no more incentive to doing these things just
because they’re mandatory and it’s actually better if they’re
not.

And
I can’t quite disagree with that. I guess I’m kind of torn on the
matter. I enjoyed everything I did to prepare for the final boss,
choosing my own path and tackling each Beast in my own time and way –
but when I finally reached Ganon and realised none of it really made
any difference, it all felt a bit hollow.

In
terms of story, I actually really liked BotW. It’s surprisingly
bitter sweet. Essentially, the first battle against Ganon was lost
and everyone died. But now you’re back to take one final
shot. I liked it, and I liked searching for my lost memories to piece
together exactly what went down. I just wish the gameplay progression
more appropriately reflected your story progression.

Also,
the ending. It’s so short and abrupt and then just kicks you
back to a save prior to fighting Ganon. I’d have loved an
‘epilogue’ style post-game world and final quest where you
recruit the other races to help you rebuild the castle or something.
This would have been the perfect title to offer a meaningful
post-Ganon experience, because there’s still so much to explore,
discover and do.

Combat
in the game is simple, but effective. I’ve already touched upon the
durability system, so I don’t so again here. When combined with the
environment and runes, the combat in BotW offers an enjoyable, varied
and creative experience. Alongside the open world, it’s one of the
highlights of the game. There’s so much to do, so many creative
ways to combine your skills to explore or just f**k around.

It’s
easy to lose yourself in the world of Breath of the Wild because the
world is so damn fantastic. But I think you need to step back and
look at the experience as a whole. Look at the real key elements of
the game – those elements that push you forward throughout the
experience. And those key elements – the core quests, the Divine
Beasts and the boss fights – are all a little lacking. They almost
feel like an afterthought, as if they were tacked on at the last
moment.

They’re
not bad – they’re just not as good as everything
else in the game. But, for me, they are the
most important elements of the experience – and ultimately,
they failed to provide the quality, variety and challenge I expected.
It’s such a damn shame, because if they’d nailed those aspects as
fantastically is they nailed the open world, then maybe we really
would have the perfect game.

Despite
my criticisms and odd irritations, there’s no denying that the
overall experience of playing Breath of the Wild was incredibly
engaging, engrossing and most importantly – fun. It’s one
of those rare titles that comes along and reminds you why you love
video games so much. Breath of the Wild was a joy to play. I highly
recommend it.

Monday, 20 March 2017

There
are many ways in which Breath of the Wild represents a significant
departure from what you might call the ‘Zelda formula’. And I can
understand why fans who may be looking for the more familiar and
‘traditional’ structure of a Zelda title, may be a little
disappointed by BotW.

One
of the key changes, and perhaps the most controversial, is item
durability. The durability system of BotW has proven to be one of its
most discussed and divisive aspects. I was going to cover this in my
upcoming review, but I’d like to cover the topic with a little more
depth.

In
Breath of the Wild, weapons break and shields shatter. As far as I’m
aware, only one weapon in the game – the Master Sword – cannot
break. I can understand why some may not like this new system, but as
far as I’m concerned, from a design perspective, it’s
mechanically sound.

During
the ‘early’ game as you explore the initial tutorial area and
surrounding zones, many of the weapons you’ll discover will either
be simple wooden clubs and spears, or rusty ancient blades that break
easily and frequently. And this can prove, at least in the beginning,
to be rather frustrating.

But
these early stages form an important learning process in terms of
combat design. It forces the player to test each of the core weapon
types and become familiar with each in range, damage and
power attack. It also encourages players to cycle through their
weapons during combat, seamlessly switching their weapon and attack
type to strike swiftly and decisively.

It
also teaches the player the importance of using the right weapon for
the right job. A very obvious example would be the difference between
attempting to cut a tree with a sword rather than an axe – the
sword will rapidly break whereas the axe will not. This lesson
doesn’t simply apply to the environment, but more importantly to
enemy types.

As
you progress through the game you’ll soon discover stronger
weapons, some of which carry an elemental charge. And particular
enemy types also adhere to an elemental aspect. Once again, it’s
all about the right weapon for the right job – a ‘frost’ blade
is more effective against an enemy charged by fire, for example.

Yes,
it all seems rather obvious, doesn’t it? But it’s important to
understand that this also ties into the durability system – if
you’re using a weapon which isn’t particularly effective to your
task, it will break far more rapidly than one which is. There’s no
‘uniform’ durability to items. There’s no durability ‘meter’.
It’s a system based entirely around the ground breaking notion of
‘common sense’.

What
I’m trying to say is – if your weapons are continually breaking,
even during the later stages of the game, then you’re probably
doing it wrong. There is a logical system in place. The game,
like so many of its systems, doesn’t overly explain it. It forces
you to experiment and figure it out on your own.

And
honestly, once you complete a couple of the main ‘dungeons’ and
have a strong grasp of the combat mechanics (including how to
effectively use your runes and the environment to your advantage)
weapon durability really does cease to be an issue.

I’m
approaching the end of the game as I write this, and I’m actually
discarding far more weapons than I’m breaking, simply due to
limited inventory space. It’s rare that my weapons break at this
stage of the game, in part because they’re far stronger than early
game weapons (as you’d expect) but also because I now understand
how to utilise them to their strongest potential.

Could
the durability mechanic be tweaked for the early stages of the game?
I think there’s an argument to be made for that, and I certainly
felt that way whilst playing. But looking back now, I realise how
important those early stages were in teaching me how to manage my
weapons, how best to prepare for each fight, and how to use each
weapon most effectively.

Like
I said, I can understand why some players may not like this system –
and that’s fine. But to me, that doesn’t mean the system is bad
or broken. To me, the durability mechanic works as intended
within the context of the combat system and the open world they
designed. Whether you think such a system is appropriate for a Zelda
game is another discussion entirely. I just think it’s important to
understand how the system works and more importantly that it does
work.

Wednesday, 15 March 2017

Bretonnia
is likely going to be the last major content update for Total War:
Warhammer. And it’s free. Yes, free. The Bretonnia ‘race’
has existed within the game since release, but featured a rather
small roster when compared to other factions, and were only playable
in custom battles or multiplayer – not campaign.

This
free DLC fleshes out the Bretonnia unit roster (including new units
not even seen in the original tabletop game) and adds three Legendary
Lords, each with their own unique faction bonuses, quest battles and
starting location. It also introduces a unique Bretonnia building and
technology chain, as well as unique faction mechanics and events.

For
a piece of free content, it’s quite substantial. I’ve felt,
particularly over the last few years, that the developers of Total
War have earned a rather unfair reputation when it comes to DLC.
Whilst their DLC policy has never been perfect (and I’ve
often criticised it myself) they’re very good at releasing free, if
small, content updates too. The quality of their paid DLC has also
improved, even if I sometimes disagree with the pricing – see my
Realm of the Wood Elves DLC review.

But
Bretonnia is free, so pricing really isn’t an issue. And because
it’s free, there’s really no reason not to try it. I played a
single Bretonnia campaign over 12 or so hours, so you’re getting
pretty good value even if you decide you don’t particularly care
for the faction. Because like all the races of Warhammer, Bretonnia
has a unique way to play, both in battles and campaign.

In
battles, Bretonnian units are split between ‘peasant’ troops (on
foot) and ‘knights’ (cavalry). No single peasant unit is
comparable in terms of stats to similar units within other factions,
but with the appropriate supporting units, leader bonuses and magical
boosts, they can hold their line long enough to deliver the true
killing blow of Bretonnia – the cavalry. Bretonnian cavalry may be
the best in the game. I won’t say it is because I’ve not compared
all the stats, but it really does pack one hell of a punch.

On
the campaign, Bretonnia are all about ‘chivalry’ and the ultimate
goal of the campaign is to attain 1000 chivalry and fight a final
quest battle that will either take you deep into the greenskin
occupied badlands, or to the treacherous chaos wastes of the distant
north.

It
gives the Bretonnia campaign a slightly different focus compared to
many of the others. In terms of campaign management, you have a
‘peasant economy’ which can dip into a negative if you recruit
too many peasant units. It’s all about maintaining a balance.

As
far as a free race goes, Bretonnia offers a decent new campaign, with
a cool roster and some interesting and unique mechanics. And it’s
free. I really don’t have too much to complain about. I
can’t say I particularly loved playing as Bretonnia – as far as
‘human’ factions go, I still prefer the versatility of the Empire
(although their campaign mechanics could certainly use an overhaul
when compared to Bretonnia or the Wood Elves).

I
enjoyed my Bretonnia campaign, but I’m not sure I’ll play as them
again any time soon. But simply as an updated AI faction, they offer
a nice balance to the west side of the map. So, yeah. It’s free.
It’s decent. If you already own Warhammer, be sure to give it a
spin.

Friday, 10 March 2017

I’ve
played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for just over 20 hours
now, but I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. I thought
I’d write an initial impressions post to talk about my experience
so far.

The
main problem I’ve had with the game isn’t so much an issue with
the game itself, but with me. Muscle memory is a funny thing,
and switching from a 360 controller to a Wii U controller has proven
troublesome. But I’m pleased to say that after 20 hours of play, I
can now reliably press at least 3 of the 4 face buttons. Give me
another 10 and I’m confident I’ll be able to press all 4.

Graphically,
Breath of the Wild is gorgeous. It has a lovely ‘watercolour’
aspect to it. Still images of the game really don’t do it justice.
When animated, the world of BotW is beautiful to behold. Sound design
in terms of ambient audio is excellent, but there’s been a
noticeable lack of strong musical tracks – at least so far.

Playing
BotW on the Wii U, I’m actually surprised by how impressive it
looks and how smoothly (overall) it runs. The frame rate does suffer
in certain locations, particularly in the two villages I’ve
visited. It also takes a hit when multiple explosions occur. It’s a
noticeable drop, but far from unplayable.

I
found it strange when I saw articles talking about Zelda ‘going
open world’ because all of the previous Zelda titles were
open world to a limited degree. And BotW is the most open yet. It
doesn’t quite strike you at first, even after an initial panoramic
reveal. But as you begin to explore, it dawns on you just how vast
the world of BotW really is.

What’s
impressive isn’t so much the size, but how everything feels hand
crafted. It really does feel like a real world you’re
stepping into, as opposed to a collection of copy pasted zones. Yes,
I’m looking at you Ubisoft.

Ubisoft
took the concept of the open world and refined it into a very
‘efficient’ (and successful) formula. But it’s a formula that
I’ve (and I’m sure many others) have grown considerably tired of.
Playing BotW feels like a breath (!) of fresh air in comparison.

It’s
a fantastic example of how open world should be done. After
departing the initial ‘tutorial’ area you really can go anywhere
you want. You see that mountain? You can climb it! And you’ll
probably find something really neat at the top when you do.

There’s
no ‘zone’ check lists to complete before moving onto the next.
Your progression through the world and the design of the world itself
feels very organic, as opposed to the artificial and structured
experience of the Ubisoft Game Template.

Breath
of the Wild, quite refreshingly, doesn’t hold your hand. It
provides enough visual clues to prod you in the right direction but
it never treats you like a fool. For example – in an early tutorial
mission, you have to enter an area of extreme cold. The game doesn’t
‘tell’ you how to survive it as such, but you do find a journal
that hints at a recipe for a cold resistant meal.

It
provides the clue, but it doesn’t use quest markers to point to key
ingredients or shove ‘collect 3/6 peppers’ on your screen whilst
you do. The game gives you enough information for you to figure it
out on your own. It trusts that you’re not a complete moron who
needs to be led every step of the way. I’m looking at YOU Ubisoft.

It
also doesn’t feel the need to shove all its CONTENT into your face.
LOOK HOW MUCH CONTENT THERE IS. LOOK AT ALL THESE QUEST MARKERS AND
COLLECTIBLES. Once you enter a new region you can climb a tower to
‘unlock’ the local map. But that’s all it does. The rest
is up to you to explore and discover on your own.

And
if there’s one thing I’d advise when playing BotW, it would be to
switch off the mini-map and other HUD elements. You honestly don’t
need them. The problem with mini-maps in general, is that you
sometimes end up watching where you’re going on them as much
as what’s before you on the screen. Turn that shit off immediately.

There’s
lots of little things I’ve experienced in my time with BotW, little
stories I could talk about all day. Like when I climbed a mountain
and found three round boulders perched on top of a small hill. I then
noticed two trees, standing apart, at the bottom. The game didn’t
tell me what to do. I just knew.

The
world is full of lovely little touches and animations. The attention
to detail is quite remarkable. Entering a village at night or during
bad weather is a different experience to during the day or when the
sun is shining. Characters change their routine or even their
dialogue as appropriate. Many games simply don’t bother with these
little touches, but it’s these small moments that massively
enhance the overall experience.

Combat
in the game is fairly simple, but fun. Unlike previous Zelda titles
you don’t have ‘set’ weapons or gear, but instead continually
cycle through new equipment as you progress. Weapons break over time
and must be replaced, which can be annoying if you’ve found a
weapon you really like, but you soon learn not to grow attached. It
does provide a nice degree of variety to combat as you’re forced
into using different types of weapons, each with their own attack
style.

If
there’s one thing the Zelda games have always done well, it’s
provide this wonderful sense of adventure – and Breath of the Wild
may be the best yet in that regard. Exploring the world is a joy.
You’re never far from something to see or do. And because the game
never tells you exactly what you’ll find or where, it
maintains this wonderful sense of mystery.

Which
wouldn’t work at all if there wasn’t anything interesting to
actually find – but there nearly always is. Every time I saw
something that looked interesting at a distance, I was never
disappointed by what I found, even if what I sometimes found was a
world ‘boss’ who one shot me.

That
doesn’t mean the game doesn’t have any structure. It does. There
are ‘main’ quests on which to embark and different side quests to
undertake. But you never know when or where you’ll come across
them, and how you approach them is entirely up to you.

If
it wasn’t already clear, my initial impressions of Breath of the
Wild are extremely positive. I played for 20 hours over two
days which probably wasn’t very healthy, but it was honestly hard
to stop. I can’t remember the last time I lost myself quite so much
in a world.

It’s
a game with a true spirit of adventure and I hope the next 20 (or
however many hours it takes to complete) are as impressive as the
first. Don’t expect a full review any time soon. I’m taking my
time with this one.

Monday, 6 March 2017

Let’s
begin with performance and graphics. The frame rate of Dishonored 2
is inconsistent to say the least, ranging from between 30 to
60 FPS depending on which direction you may be facing at the time.
It’s not too noticeable as you play, but it can be an issue
when combined with the graphical aspect which is also best described
as inconsistent.

Some
environments are very impressive to look at, but others –
particularly long distance scenery – look absolutely terrible. And
even at its best, Dishonored 2 doesn’t look that good and we
really shouldn’t be seeing these frame rate issues.

I
probably spent my first hour with the game attempting to find a
balance within the extensive settings menu that would provide a
fairly stable frame rate, but also a game that didn’t appear as a
blurry, low textured mess.

I
cycled through the various forms of AA and AA sharpening as well as
the different adaptive resolution settings (including switching them
off entirely) until I struck upon a combination that wasn’t quite
so offensive to my eyes. Even then, the game had an odd blur to it
that I could never quite remove.

It
varies depending on lighting and environment, but everything in the
game has this unpleasant ‘out of focus’ effect to it. Combined
with the inconsistent frame rate, and there were times when playing
Dishonored 2 that it actually gave me a headache.

If
there’s one thing the original did brilliantly that Dishonored 2
can claim to do equally so, it’s the world building and lore
aspect. If you’re someone who loved the world of Dishonored and
loved to explore it through its many audio logs, journals, books,
history, music and conversation, then you’ll find a lot to keep you
happy.

Unfortunately,
that’s the only aspect in which I’d say Dishonored 2 is equal to
the original. In terms of everything else – story, characters,
level design and gameplay – Dishonored 2 falls short of the
fantastic original.

But
it was always going to be a tough act to follow and Dishonored 2
certainly takes a decent stab at it. If you’ve already peeked at
the final score, you’ll know that I actually rate Dishonored 2
quite highly, despite the somewhat negative focus of this review.

In
terms of story, Dishonored 2 is set 15 years after the events of the
original. There’s another coup, with Emily or Corvo (depending on
who you choose to play, which is a nice addition) forced to flee
Dunwall and travel to Karnaca – tracing the roots of the
conspiracy, investigating those involved and searching for a way to
stop them.

It’s an enjoyable and
engaging tale, regardless of which character you choose, although its
ending feels rather abrupt. But whilst the story is a positive, none
of the new characters – heroes and villains alike – can compare
favourably to those of the original.

I played through
Dishonored 2 twice – once with Emily on a non-lethal / low chaos
run, and once with Corvo for a lethal / high chaos run. Each
character features their own unique set of powers (although they both
share a variation of blink and dark vision) that offer a range of
lethal and non-lethal abilities.

I’m a little torn on
this system, because splitting the powers between the two characters
does somewhat limit them in terms of options. On the other hand, it
does make playing through the game as both characters worth your
time, as you’ll play and approach missions quite differently for
each.

Unfortunately, playing
for the non-lethal ‘clean hands’ and no alerts ‘ghost’
achievements is as frustrating as it is fun. I gave up on my ‘ghost’
achievement early into my Emily run as I discovered how buggy the
game is at recording ‘alert’ states.

In only the first
mission, I encountered a situation where I had the option to save an
civilian npc. I did so – but the civilian initially reacted as if
he was ‘alerted’. I had to reload and replay this small moment
several times before the civilian reacted properly to my
intervention. Early in the second mission I also encountered a
similar situation where one npc attacked another, but those fleeing
the scene entered an alert state and it counted against me.

Playing for ‘clean
hands’ proved equally troublesome. In one situation, I knocked out
two guards and placed their bodies on the deck of a boat. As I
departed, I checked my level stats – which you’ll need to do
frequently if you’re playing for these achievements – and saw I’d
killed 2 people. I backtracked to the boat and found both guards were
now dead. But how? And then I realised – the water beneath the boat
was glitching through the hull and I’d been unfortunate enough to
drop their unconscious bodies in just the wrong spot. The result?
They drowned, and it counted against me.

I did eventually finish
my ‘clean hands’ run with Emily and my ‘ghost’ with Corvo,
but as I said – it was as frustrating as it was fun and required
regular saves and loads due to bugs and other issues. Even then,
simply loading could prove dangerous, as npcs would sometimes
react to sounds triggered prior to the reload. I wish I was
joking, but I’d sometimes load a quick save after alerting a guard,
and upon the reload those in the area would suddenly begin searching
as if they’d heard a sound.

So let’s tackle the
main problem of Dishonored 2 and why it falls short of the original –
level design. Initially, it may appear that many of the levels are
larger and more elaborate than those in the original, but as someone
who likes to explore every little corner of every level, I quickly
realised this wasn’t quite the case.

Compared the original,
the levels of Dishonored 2 are fairly small and linear. And those few
levels that do offer a slightly more expansive environment
nearly always converge on a single entry or exit point. Whilst I
appreciated the levels in terms of their mechanics – the clockwork
mansion and the ‘time shift’ level in particular – I can’t
help but be disappointed by their design.

The clockwork mansion
is ingenious – a level where levers completely alter the
environment. It’s pretty fantastic in terms of mechanics, but the
actual level design is sadly lacking. Because like the other
levels of Dishonored 2, it’s far too linear. Too straightforward.
The level is essentially a straight line from beginning to end.
There’s little exploration or investigation. There’s no complex
puzzles involving the clockwork mechanic.

And then we have the
‘time shift’ level. Once again, the mechanics are fantastic –
being able to see into and switch between two time periods seamlessly
is ingenious. But whilst the mechanic and how it’s implemented is
creative and fantastic, the actual level design is not. And
that’s where Dishonored 2 really stumbles – with some memorable
mechanics, but not memorable design.

I thought the
penultimate mission – a sprawling mansion estate – would provide
a challenging and elaborate design. But after reaching a high point
upon which to study the layout of the grounds, I discovered a simple
and direct path to my objective. And many missions suffer from the
same issue – it’s far too easy to find ways to bypass entire
areas and go directly to your target.

It just feels like
Dishonored 2 is guiding the player too much. The design is too
obvious. The paths are too clear. Unlike the original, I never
felt like I was finding a clever way to my objective – or
investigating to find ‘alternative’ ways of dealing with my
targets. Dishonored 2 practically shoves these things in your face.

It’s like the game is
desperately trying to shout about how many ways there are to complete
its objectives but in doing so, it reveals its entire hand and makes
it all entirely too easy. Even the final ‘boss’ is disappointing
in this aspect. You only need to hear a single conversation (which is
nearly impossible to avoid) that will guide you to an ‘alternative’
approach.

Locating the key
information, I saw I needed to gather various items and combine them
to make it work. I thought it would require me to explore and track
down each item throughout the level but instead, all of the items and
the ability to combine them existed within the same room. I didn’t
need to explore or investigate. Everything was laid out before me as
if I was too stupid to figure it out.

And that’s why I
can’t rate Dishonored 2 as highly as the original. In many ways, it
feels like a step back. I don’t think it does anything badly.
It’s still a very enjoyable game with an interesting story, some
very good levels and some ingenious mechanics. The technical and
graphical issues are irritating, but not game breaking.

But it also fails to
live up to the original in just about every area and in that sense
it’s a little disappointing. That said, if you’re a fan of the
original, I’d still recommend checking it out, and I hope this
isn’t the last we see of the world of Dishonored.

Wednesday, 1 March 2017

With
a hotly anticipated new Zelda game due to be released in a matter of
days, you might think that was why I decided to buy a Wii U earlier
this week. It’s certainly a reasonable assumption, given the
excitement surrounding the title. But for me, the new Zelda is just a
nice little bonus. The main reason I bought a Wii U, and the reason
I’ve had my eye on picking one up for the last year so, is in fact
Bayonetta 2.

If
you’ve followed this blog, you’ll know that I rated the original
very highly. There was no way I was going to miss out on playing its
sequel. But how could I justify purchasing a Wii U for a single
title? The Wii U has had a somewhat short and troubled life, but it
does have a solid library of games – just not games that I was
particularly fussed about playing. Not until Bayonetta 2, that is.

I
liked the look of the Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD remakes,
but given that I already have both of those titles on GameCube, I
also couldn’t justify picking up the console to simply play remakes
of games I already owned.

I
try to stick to a simple rule that says there needs to be a minimum
of five games I want to play on a platform before I’ll pick
one up. But with Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD and Bayonetta 1
& 2, I only had four titles – at least until the new Zelda was
announced. And that’s when I hit that magic number five.

I
have the console, but I’m still waiting on the games. I can’t say
I particularly care for the gamepad – it’s a neat piece of kit,
no doubt – but after trying it out for a bit with Mario Kart 8
(which came pre-installed) I immediately ordered a pro controller.

Even
then, it’s going to take some getting used to as all the buttons
are backwards when compared to my 360 controller which I use on PC.
It’s seriously f**king confusing switching from one to the other
with A & B and X &Y being positioned in reverse.

As
for Zelda, although I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, I am
a fan of the series – not a hardcore fan by any stretch – but I’ve
played and enjoyed most of the Zelda games. Wind Waker was probably
my favourite, although it’s been a very long time since I last
played it which is why I’m looking forward to getting stuck into
the HD remake.

But
before that, I can’t not play Breath of the Wild. That will
be my first Wii U review and should be up either at the end of this
month, or early next month depending on how busy I am. I’ll then
follow that up with reviews of Bayonetta 2 and Wind Waker / Twilight
Princess HD.

In
addition to those, I’m currently playing a new Total War: Warhammer
campaign as Bretonnia which was released only yesterday as free
content. I may or may not do a post about it. I was going to record
some more footage for YouTube too, but I just don’t have the time.

I’ve
got another Command & Conquer ‘versus’ post to go up soon,
and I’ve also got a Dishonored 2 review ready to go which will
probably be posted next. I really should do a writing update sometime
this month to talk about what’s going on with my new book. It is
coming along pretty nicely, believe it or not, and I’m actually
still on schedule.

The
only other gaming news I really need to touch upon is Titanfall 2,
which had another update recently with a new mode and maps but
honestly, I think I’m done with the game. I hate to say it, but I
think the title has actually gotten worse since release, rather than
improve. Very few of the issues I highlighted at release have been
properly addressed and the game has bled players like crazy.

I
still see people defend the title, but there’s a reason so many
players like me have moved on. It’s a damn shame because the core
gameplay is fantastic, but with such limited and poorly designed
maps, combined with poor design choices in terms of modes and
objectives, not to mention major balance issues, I simply don’t
enjoy the game any more.

And
after trying the new update and seeing how little it had improved
(not at all, in fact) I hit that uninstall button and didn’t regret
it for a second. I might do a final ‘Gallery’ post for the single
player campaign though, because I’d still recommend picking the
game up cheap just for that.